Mystery Date
by azami-x
Summary: After several months of putting it off, Lucy is finally going on a date. She's been waiting for Natsu to come around for quite some time, but it doesn't seem like it will ever happen. So to get her mind off it, Cana offers to set her up on a blind date with an unknown suitor and doesn't tell Lucy much about him. What awaits Lucy on this mystery date? [Total NALU fluff!]


**A/N: SO I got an idea for some Nalu fluff and was feeling creative so I went with it. Just a one romantic one shot to satisfy my Nalu needs while I'm trying to work through the writer's block I'm having on my Nalu chapter story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

Blind Date

Lucy scrutinized her makeup job one more time. It looked pretty damn good. Nodding, she put the eyeliner pencil down. Turning her head back and forth she examined her perfect cat eye eyeliner, her curled eyelashes, and her plumped glossy lips. Yup. Pretty perfect. She was looking smoking hot and was totally ready for this blind date! Cana had said the guy was really hot and pretty smart too. She thought they would be the perfect fit. It had been a long time since she had been on any kind of date.. They had been working so much that dating has really taken a back seat. And not to mention she wasn't exactly motivated to be out looking for someone.. The truth of the matter was, the someone she wanted was right in front of her. But, yeah right. That was like, never happening.. Natsu was too wrapped up in training and fighting and having adventures to really be concerned with things like relationships and love. However, Lucy did want those things in her life.

She knew how she felt about him, but because he was so wrapped up in other things, she didn't think the possibility of them being together had even dawned on him. Or really.. Maybe he just didn't see her that way. Besides, they were best friends, like family. What if they did get together and then it didn't work out? That would make things really awkward and might totally mess up their friendship. Not to mention it would make working together difficult. They were part of a team so it was about more than just them. These were things that she had to consider with the situation, so really it was for the best that Natsu didn't return her feelings. It worked out the best for every in the end right? Sure.

Lucy got up from her seat in front of her vanity table and stood in front of the full length mirror near her bed. Looking over her outfit again, she considered one more time whether or not she chose the right outfit. A short black dress that came just below the top of her thigh. Simple but elegant, fun but classy. Cana hadn't said much about this guy, but she had said that he wasn't much for too many frills and girls that over dressed for an occasion. Lucy figured she'd use an attention grabber that still had a simple feel to it. She gave a satisfied nod as she gave a little twirl, checking herself out. She was looking damn good! She wondered what Natsu would think of her in this outfit..

She stopped for a moment and looked into the mirror, sighing at herself.

"There I go again," she murmured to herself. "Always back to Natsu…"

She looked at her own reflection, her eyes now sad and distant. No matter what she did, she always ended up back on Natsu. Over and over again that damn pink haired dragon slayer bulldozed his way back into her mind, just like he had into her life. Though that was more of a crash landing.. She shook her head, smiling at the thought. There was a scraping sound at the window and the celestial mage turned sharply to look toward it. Was that..? She felt her stomach tighten and every nerve was standing on end. She had told him that she was going on a date tonight.. Slowly crossing the room, her movements almost mechanical, she peered out the window and saw that it was merely a branch scratching up again the window pane as a steady breeze blew outside. Exhaling deeply, she sighed again. Nope, wasn't him. Sometimes she had this deluded little fantasy that he would show up right before she was going on a date to proclaim his love for her and tell her that he couldn't stand the thought of her sharing herself with another man. And then they would kiss passionately and go on to live happily ever after, making thirty three babies and having fun adventures until the end of their days. Okay.. maybe not thirty-three babies, but the rest of it always sounded damn nice. But of course it was just a fantasy, and he hadn't shown up, so no sense dwelling on it anyway. Shaking herself a little, she brought her thoughts back to reality and returned to her pre-date preparations.

Lucy reached for her perfume and thought twice about it before spraying any on herself. _He always like it better when I don't wear any perfume._ Dammit! There she went again! Natsu Natsu Natsu. He did usually complain when she was wearing perfume and he was especially close to her. She remembered the first time that she even became aware that he liked the way she smelled. It had been a little awkward, but kind of a sweet moment all the same.

( _Flashback to a couple years earlier)_

 _They had just come back from a long job and were both tired and sore from the hard work and a long journey. Lucy trudged in the door, dumping her pack off near the hall closet and discarding her boots and coat sloppily in a pile next to it. She really couldn't care less about neatness right now. Cleaning up could come later, when she was showered, fed and rested. For now, all she cared about was getting into a hot shower, finding a few scraps to wolf down and climbing into bed. Natsu followed after her, mimicking her actions and dumping his things in a pile next to hers. She didn't even care that he was adding to the mess. They had had a really rough journey and he had done a lot of extra fighting while defending them from some pretty tough enemies. The blonde just waved it off and let him do as he pleased for now. A very tired blue Exceed followed close behind the exhausted dragonslayer and flew over to the nearest soft surface and plopped down to pass out. Within moments he was fast asleep, curled up on Lucy's couch on his favorite fluffy blue pillow._

" _I'm going to take a hot shower. Try not to make a mess," Lucy said wearily, turning to grab some clean clothes, then making her way to the bathroom._

 _Natsu only responded with a grunt and a wave of his hand as he fell onto her bed, his limbs splayed in all directions. She shook her head at him, smiling a little as she closed the bathroom door. She took her time in the shower, letting the hot water pelt her skin, soothing her aching muscles. She washed away all the sweat and grime of their travels, letting her skin feel revitalized and refreshed. After washing her hair and spending a little more time under the warm spray, she turned the shower off and got herself out and toweled off. Once her hair was dry for the most part, she dressed quickly in her favorite comfy pj's and put her blonde locks up into a simple ponytail before going back out into her bedroom. Natsu was rolling around her bed, half asleep and mumbling something about Gray being a jerk. Lucy shook her head and reached for the lotion on her vanity and went to apply some. Suddenly Natsu sat up and stared at her._

" _Aw man, not that stuff!" he whined, pointing at the bottle in her hand._

 _Lucy quirked an eyebrow up and looked at him and then the bottle of lotion. It was just her regular jasmine scented body lotion. Nothing new or out of the ordinary…_

" _What are you talking about?" she said exasperatedly. She really didn't want to waste time arguing with him and this was already proving to be a huge waste of time._

" _I was looking forward to your smell."_

" _What the hell Natsu!? What kind of weird thing is that to say?" she yelped, completely taken aback by his statement. "And besides I use this stuff all the time and you've never complained before."_

 _He shrugged and made a face. "Yeah I know, but usually before bed you use the other kind that doesn't smell. You only use the smelly junk when you're going out or something."_

 _She looked at the bottle again and then at him. Did he really not like the way she usually smelled? But wait… he said he was looking forward to_ _ **her**_ _smell… meaning her natural smell._

" _What do you mean you were looking forward to my smell?" she asked tentatively, looking at him again._

 _He stared at her blankly, as if the answer was completely obvious. She stared back at him, making it quite apparent that she had no idea what he meant._

" _You know, your smell. Everyone had a smell. Yours is usually like vanilla with a little hint of sweetness like strawberries. You have a really yummy smell, Luce." he said, beaming at her._

 _She flushed three shades of crimson and turned away from him. " Shut up, baka! But um...well, thanks, I guess…" She peeked back at him shyly, her cheeks still red. "Do you… look forward..to a lot of people's smells?" She tried to say it as nonchalantly as possible, but it was kind of hard to pull off any measure of casualness with that kind of awkward question._

" _No way! Just yours Luce. Most people just smell...I dunno...whatever, ya know? But I like your smell the best," he said with his token grin, laying back on her bed._

 _She hurried to turn out the light and get into bed next to him, completely forgetting about getting anything to eat and quickly settled beneath the covers. It had become commonplace for them to sleep close to each other at night. He slid into position behind her, cradling close to her and sliding a hand over her midsection, holding her protectively. She felt him nuzzle the back of her neck, his lips just brushing up against her skin, causing all the little hairs to stand on end. She nestled close to him, feeling the heat from his body warm hers as they found their groove together._

" _Yup, still the best smell ever," he breathed, inhaling her scent. She blushed again, nudging him gently with her elbow._

" _Enough with that, baka! Now go to sleep…"_

 _The dragonslayer chuckled and gave the blonde a gentle squeeze._

" _Okay Luce. G'night."_

" _Goodnight, Natsu."_

 _(End flashback)_

The sound of Horologium clanging and calling out her, appearing of his own accord.

"Only one hour until your date, Miss Lucy! Have you quite prepared yourself?" the clock spirit called out, surprising her and scaring the daylights out of her in the process. She had asked him to remind her of the time, but it still caught her by surprise.

"Oh, yeah, thanks Horologium! I appreciate the reminder!" the celestial mage chirped cheerfully, smiling at her beloved spirit. She gave him a small wave and a wink to let him know that his job was done.

"Very well, Miss Lucy! Be safe, and don't be late!" Horologium cried out as he dissipated in a cloud of silvery and golden sparkles.

Lucy smiled as he disappeared, truly thankful for the spirit. He had truly saved in neck a number of time, literally some situation during a matter of life and death. He was amazing celestial spirit and an irreplaceable friend. When he was fully gone, she looked down at her hands again and realized she was still holding the perfume bottle. She frowned a little and then shrugged. Well, she wasn't going on this date with Natsu, so she might as well use a little of the perfume. After spritzing a bit on herself, she had the overwhelming urge to go and dab it off of herself. But there was no time for that nonsense.

After gathering her keys (because no matter what the situation, a Fairy Tail wizard is eternally prepared), and her purse, checking herself over in the mirror once more, she headed out the door. Her first stop would be the guild hall for a short visit, as she had a bit of time to kill. She just didn't want to sit around at home and find some excuse not to go. She did that a lot… find ways to get out of going on dates. She had been doing that repeatedly over the last year especially. Of course, Natsu made a regular habit to interrupt what dates she did go on. Either the PERFECT job would come up, or he would just _happen_ to set the establishment that her date was taking place in on fire. As she walked along the streets of Magnolia, she shook her head, thinking of how many times Natsu had 'accidentally' set something on fire. Oh so many jobs with lost rewards because of his pyromaniac antics.

After a short while she arrived at the guild, entering with her best face on, smiling brightly for everyone she came across. A few of the guys wolf whistled and called out to her.

"Lookin' good Luce!"

"Who's the lucky chump Lucy?"

"Oh can it you guys! But thanks!" she said, waving them off as she approached the bar. Mira saw her take a seat and came over to greet her.

"Hi Lucy! Wow, don't you look sexy! Got a hot date?" the takeover mage said with a wink and a giggle. Lucy smiled and nodded.

"Yup! Tonight is the blind date Cana set me up on. Hopefully this guy isn't a total loser," Lucy said, smiling and laughing a little. She turned in her seat and looked around the guild, knowing that she was hoping to catch sight of familiar pink hair and a dragon scale scarf. But alas, the saw no pink or flashes of white and turned back around in her seat. Frowning a little she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Is something wrong Lucy? You don't seem so excited…" Mirajane asked, her blue eyes sparkling with concern.

Lucy shook her head and snapped out of it. "Oh! No, no I'm fine! Really. Just spaced out for a sec is all. I'm totally psyched! It'll be nice to get out and meet someone new!"

The celestial mage hung out at the guild for a little while, peeking over her shoulder every so often, secretly hoping that he might happen into the guild, but there was no sign of him. In fact, she hadn't seen him all day. He hadn't stayed over the previous night, so he wasn't there when she woke up in the morning. It was a little odd that he hadn't stayed over, too, considering they had just come back from a mission the night before. Usually when they came back from a mission, he stayed over at her place. He'd claim that it was too far to go home, and staying at Lucy's was as good as staying at home any day. But the night before he had made his excuses and departed from her and the others at the train station as soon as he had his wits about him.

Lucy noticed the time and excused herself from her conversation with Mirajane and Bisca and proceeded to make her way out of the guildhall. She was supposed to meet her date beneath the sola tree at 6:30 and that was only 15 minutes away. The celestial mage smoothed out her dress as she walked, taking her compact out and checking her makeup one more time. She was careful not to walk _too_ quickly so that she didn't fall flat on her face. She also didn't want to look like she was rushing to meet him, like some over eager schoolgirl. As she approached the sola tree, she thought about the time she thought Natsu wanted to confess his love to her, but it turned out that he just wanted her to get Virgo to help him dig up some incriminating photos. Yet another instance of her hoping for more than what was there. Though that had been a long time ago, and she and Natsu had grown quite a lot closer since then. When she arrived at the sola tree she didn't see the face of a new guy that was to be her date, but the all too familiar face of her best friend and partner. She looked at him standing there and couldn't help but noticed he wasn't dressed in his usual clothes…

"Hey Luce! There you are," he said, greeting her with his signature grin, as welcoming and friendly as ever.

She couldn't help but smile a little. But then she realized he decided to show just when she was supposed to be meeting her date! What was this new guy going to think if he saw her talking to some other guy? Oh well, whatever. She would deal with it.

"Um.. hi Natsu... Listen I'm supposed to meet my date here…" she said tentatively, looking around to see if she spotted anyone that might fit the bill.

"I know, Luce. Who are you looking for?"

"My date dummy!"

"Luce, I'm right here."

She stopped and looked at him, confused, her mouth hanging slightly open. What was he talking about? The blonde mage stood there and stared at her best friend, not quite catching on to what he was saying at first.. Not for lack of understanding, but rather lack of believing that it could even remotely be true. Suddenly Natsu started to chuckle, shaking his head at her. She screwed up her face and put her hands on her hips.

"What the hell Natsu!? Stop messing around! You're going to screw up my date!"

"Luce! I told you! I AM your date! I was laughing because of that dumb look on your face," he said, still chuckling. After a moment he stopped laughing and smiled at her genuinely and reached out to take her hand. "Seriously Luce, I'm your date tonight."

Her cheeks flushed red and she found herself fumbling over her words, not quite sure what to say. "You...but how? Why are… I don't...um.. Really?"

She couldn't help but sound hopeful. Though she was thoroughly confused and had no idea what was going on, this was definitely a positive turn of events that played heavily in her favor.

Natsu smiled again and reached out to gently cup her face in his hand, lightly brushing a thumb across her cheek, smiling warmly at her. She found herself smiling back at him.

"Yeah, really weirdo. This was the only way I could get you on a date without you getting all weird about stuff! I've been wanting to do it forever, but I finally caved and asked Cana for help. Man, she's never gonna let me live this one down. But whatever! I'm doing on a date with my favorite girl!" he said, grinning at her.

Lucy laughed, shaking her head. She couldn't believe her ears. He was serious. He really did want to take her on a date… and he had been wanting to for a long time! So she wasn't imagining things…

"You could have just asked me out yourself, idiot."

"Lucy, c'mon, we both know you would have gotten all embarrassed and started yelling and Lucy kicked me in the face cuz you'd think I was just up to some dumb stunt like the whole thing at with Virgo and those photos! Not that I'm not totally dense like I was back then. But anyway, I thought the surprise might be nice, too, ya know?" Natsu said, flashing her a cheeky grin. She laughed and smiled back at him.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Wait.. how did you know to go to Cana for help?"

"Well, I _might_ have overheard you talkin' to Levy and I _might_ have overheard you say something about havin' feelings for me (which I was TOTALLY PSYCHED about, by the way!) and then I _might_ have heard you talking to Cana about trying to 'move on' when you thought I was asleep at the guildhall, and _maybe_ I heard Cana offer to set you up on a blind date… And I didn't want you going out with some jerk and fallin; for him instead so I decided to do something about it!" he explained.

Lucy nodded, smiling at him again. "So you're my date, huh? What are we doing tonight?"

"Well first we're going out for a totally awesome dinner, and then I'm taking you to see something really cool. And then...well, we'll see what happens from there, okay? The night is our oyster!" he said, flourishing his arms out to the sides dramatically.

She laughed and shook her head again, "Okay hambone. Well, it sounds great, let's go then!"

So they went together, hand in hand to one of the nicest restaurants in Magnolia, Le Cherie, a French themed bistro on the edge of town. It was one of the most romantic places Lucy had ever been. They sipped wine and held hands at the table, gazing at one another adoringly. They talking about life and how long they had waited for a moment like this. The food was delicious and Natsu amazed her with his impeccable manners, something that he usually did not have. (Well impeccable for Natsu, anyway.) The dragonslayer did slip up a few times and get a little loud, but she knew to expect nothing less. In fact, she might have thought aliens had come down and kidnapped Natsu and switched him with a body double if there wasn't at least a little bit of trouble. But for the most part, he was well-behaved and well-mannered.

After their wonderful romantic dinner, they took a leisurely twilight walk toward some open fields a short way out of town. When they got to a particular spot, Natsu stopped and began to pull Lucy into the open field. She was about to question him when she saw in the clearing that there was a blanket spread out and several candles lit around it. Atop the blanket lay a beautiful bouquet of pink and white roses, her favorites. He led her down a worn path to the blanket and lowered himself down onto it, gently pulling her hand to guide her down next to him.

"Oh wow… Natsu…" she whispered, deeply moved by all of his efforts. It was clear that he had put a lot of thought into this date, and that meant the world to her. He was grinning from ear to ear, thoroughly pleased that she seemed to happy. He reached for the bouquet and held them out to her.

"These are for you, Luce. I hope you like all this.. I just wanted to do something kinda special, ya know?" he said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"I love it, Natsu, really. It's wonderful. These are beautiful. Thank you so much," she said softly, smiling at him and taking the flowers. She inhaled their sweet scent deeply before setting them to the side.

"Not half as beautiful as you, Luce," he said sincerely, smiling at her. She felt her stomach flutter as he looked at her so adoringly. She had dreamed of this for so long, and now it was finally coming true.

And then they sat together for the next while, talking and laughing together as they always did, and slowly they became more comfortable and relaxed, moving closer together. Soon nightfall came and the sky was illuminated with the light of thousands of stars shining down upon them. They cuddled close together, she encircled in his arms, pointing out the different constellations to him in the vast sky. She was talking about Virgo's constellation what he suddenly interrupted her.

"I love you, Lucy."

She stopped and looked at him, blinking and staring. She couldn't believe he had said it… she had longed to hear it and now.. A tear slid gently from the corner of her eye as she beamed at him.

"I love you, too, Natsu."

They stared at each other, their eyes locked together as they drew in closer, both wanting the next moment to be absolutely perfect…

"Ah hell with it.." he muttered and pulled her to him abruptly, claiming her lips with his, kissing her fully and deeply, letting every ounce of his feelings for her pour forth into it. She leaned into the kiss, returning it with joyful abandon, cupping his cheek in her hand as their lips collided together. The warmth of his mouth on hers send a jolt of heat through her entire being, leaving her heart beating so quickly that she thought it might explode right out of her chest. It was everything she had dreamed of and beyond.

They continued on like that for several moments, whispering sweet nothings to one another as their lips caressed upon the others, over and again. So many years of missed moments and latent desires, they couldn't help but be lost in it, relishing every aspect. For so long they had suppressed how they felt and now it had come to the surface, rearing it's head out of the water and gasping for air, filling its lungs to capacity. Their love would sleep no more.. No.. they would live it, loud and proud for all the world to hear.

After some time their affections slowed to soft tender kisses and gentle caresses, entwined together upon the blanket beneath them. They laid together, giggling and whispering like silly lovesick teens, happier than they had ever been.

When the time came, they blew out the candles and gathered up the blanket, and eventually made their way back to Lucy's apartment. They tumbled in the door together, kissing and necking as they made their way in, giggling together in the dark. They were acting completely ridiculous and they both knew it, but neither of them cared. For once, all they had to focus on was each other. After a nightcap and another round of making out, the young couple found their way to her bed again, but this time when they curled up together, they made no qualms about just how close they would snuggle together. As Lucy laid her head upon his chest , she smiled to herself and laughed a little.

 _I'll have to remember to thank Cana._

And that night she fell asleep, nestled close to her love, having had the best blind date of her life.

 _ **So there was my one off of ooey gooey Nalu fluff! The idea struck me earlier today and I just went with it. This was all total cheese and purely for my own satisfaction. But I hope that someone else enjoys it. Any good? Totally horrible? Please let me know! I'd love to know what you think. Thanks for reading! : D**_


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